Asheville–Buncombe Technical Community College (A-B Tech) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populou ...

. Established in 1959, the college is one of the oldest in the

North Carolina Community College System The North Carolina Community College System (System Office) is a statewide network of 58 public community colleges. The system enrolls nearly 600,000 students annually. It also provides the North Carolina Learning Object Repository as a central ...

and serves

Buncombe Buncombe may refer to: * Buncombe County, North Carolina * Buncombe, Illinois * An alternative spelling of Buncom, Oregon * Edward Buncombe Edward Buncombe (1742–1778) was a plantation owner from the Province of North Carolina who served as a co ...

and

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

counties across five different campuses, although students from anywhere may enroll. As of the 2014–15 school year, the curriculum enrollment was 10,070 and continuing education enrollment was 14,053 students. As of 2019–20, the college is the seventh largest in the North Carolina system and the largest in

Western North Carolina Western North Carolina (often abbreviated as WNC) is the region of North Carolina which includes the Appalachian Mountains; it is often known geographically as the state's Mountain Region. It contains the highest mountains in the Eastern United S ...

. A-B Tech offers more than 120 degrees, diplomas, and certificates.

Academics

The first program offered by the college was Practical Nursing. Electronics Engineering Technology and the Machinist programs were started in 1960. Today, A-B Tech offers the associate degrees in Arts, Science, Fine Arts, and Engineering, over 30 college transfer pathways, and a number of one to two semester diplomas and certificates. There are numerous programs that are tied in with each of these degrees. , approximately 23% of students at A-B Tech graduate with their associate degree, while others receive a certificate or diploma. Many attend for one or two years for general education credit before transferring to a four-year university to finish their course of study. A-B Tech has articulation agreements set up with every public 4-year university in the UNC system, and the school offers direct transfer programs in some of them. There are also opportunities available for juniors and seniors in high school to receive college credit before graduating that will transfer to a university, as well as an Early College program where high school students can receive a GED.

Accreditation Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

programs recognizing A-B Tech include the Commission on Colleges of the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

, the North Carolina Board of Nursing, the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences, the

Joint Review Committee on Education Radiologic Technology A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

, the

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, the

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, and the Accreditation Review Committee on Education in Surgical Technology.

Historic buildings

The Asheville–Buncombe Technical Community College main campus is on the former estate of Col. John Kerr, a veteran (Confederate) of the American Civil War. The 144-acre campus has historic buildings, including Ivy Hall, Fernihurst, the Smith-McDowell House and Sunnicrest. Ivy Hall at A-B Tech

Fernihurst, the former summer residence of Col. John Kerr, is a brick Italianate style house named after the Kerr family castle in Scotland. Located on a hill, south of the Smith-McDowell house, Fernihurst is part of A-B Tech Community College Culinary Arts Program. The Smith-McDowell House, on the A-B Tech campus, was constructed in 1840 for James McConnell Smith. The house is the oldest brick building in Buncombe County and is currently a nonprofit museum that is included in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Sunnicrest is one of five (and the only remaining) R.S. Smith-designed model cottages built by George Vanderbilt on Vernon Hill in what was then the town of Victoria. Sunnicrest houses the Human Resources Department of the A-B Tech Community College. St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines, a Religious of Christian Education school, opened in 1908 and moved to the three-story 80-room former Victoria Inn in 1910, its third location. The school merged with Asheville Country Day School in 1987, creating Carolina Day School. A-B Tech bought the St. Genevieve campus while the new school at Asheville Country Day's campus. The only remaining building from St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines is Ivy Hall, an auditorium, gymnasium, and cafeteria built in 1936. A-B Tech announced plans in 2016 to renovate the structure for use as a public event space and College Advancement offices.

Notable alumni

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— news commentator and

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personality * Evan Golden — professional wrestler

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Two-year colleges in the United States North Carolina Community College System colleges Education in Asheville, North Carolina Universities and colleges established in 1959 Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Buildings and structures in Asheville, North Carolina 1959 establishments in North Carolina